1 Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his
roof terrace at Samaria and had been injured. So he sent out messengers with
the instructions: "Go and inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether
I shall recover from this injury."

3

Meanwhile, the angel of the LORD said to Elijah
the Tishbite: "Go, intercept the messengers of Samaria's king, and ask
them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of
Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?'

4

For this, the LORD says: 'You shall not leave
the bed upon which you lie; instead, you shall die.'" And with that,
Elijah departed.

5

The messengers then returned to Ahaziah, who
asked them. "Why have you returned?"

6

"A man came up to us," they answered,
"who said to us, 'Go back to the king who sent you and tell him: The LORD
says, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of
Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? For this you shall not leave the bed upon which
you lie; instead, you shall die.'"

7

The king asked them, "What was the man
like who came up to you and said these things to you?"

8

2 "Wearing a hairy garment," they
replied, "with a leather girdle about his loins." "It is Elijah
the Tishbite!" he exclaimed.

9

Then the king sent a captain with his company
of fifty men after Elijah. The prophet was seated on a hilltop when he found
him. "Man of God," he ordered, "the king commands you to come
down."

10

"If I am a man of God," Elijah
answered the captain, "may fire come down from heaven and consume you and
your fifty men." And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his
fifty men.

11

Ahaziah sent another captain with his company
of fifty men after Elijah. "Man of God," he called out to Elijah,
"the king commands you to come down immediately."

12

3 "If I am a man of God," Elijah
answered him, "may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your
fifty men." And divine fire came down from heaven, consuming him and his
fifty men.

13

Again, for the third time, Ahaziah sent a captain
with his company of fifty men. When the third captain arrived, he fell to his
knees before Elijah, pleading with him. "Man of God," he implored
him, "let my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants, count
for something in your sight!

14

Already fire has come down from heaven,
consuming two captains with their companies of fifty men. But now, let my life
mean something to you!"

15

Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah,
"Go down with him; you need not be afraid of him."

16

So Elijah left and went down with him and
stated to the king: "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you sent messengers to
inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, you shall not leave the bed upon which
you lie; instead you shall die.'"

17

4 Ahaziah died in fulfillment of the prophecy of
the LORD spoken by Elijah. Since he had no son, his brother Joram succeeded him
as king, in the second year of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.

18

The rest of the acts of Ahaziah are recorded in
the book of chronicles of the kings of Israel.

1 Baalzebub: in this form, "Baal
of flies." The name in the Hebrew text is a derisive alteration of
Baalzebul, "Prince Baal." The best New Testament evidence supports
the latter form in ⇒ Matthew 10:25;
⇒ Luke 11:15. Later associations with Aramaic
beeldebaba, "enemy," gave the ancient name its connotation of
"devil."

2 [8] Hairy garment: a sign of
ascetical and prophetic calling, imitated by John the Baptizer; see
⇒ Matthew 3:4; ⇒ Mark 1:6.

3 [12] Divine fire: literally,
"fire of God," which in Hebrew sounds quite like man of God. The play
on words is the basis for Elijah's alleged retort. This story was told among
the people to enhance the dignity of the prophet and to reflect the power of
God whom he served. The mercy which God extends even to the wicked is described
in ⇒ Wisdom 11:17-12,
⇒ 22 and the prophet Elijah was well aware of it
(⇒ 1 Kings 21:28-29).

4 [17] Joram: in the Second Book of
Kings the name Joram (yoram), alternately Jehoram (yehoram), appears in
numerous passages to designate both the king of Judah, son and successor of
Jehoshaphat (848-841 B.C.), and the contemporary king of Israel, son of Ahab
(852-841 B.C.). For the convenience of the reader in distinguishing these two
kings, the longer form, Jehoram, is used to designate the king of Judah and the
shorter form, Joram, to designate the king of Israel. See note on
⇒ 2 Kings 3:1.